"Todd spoke about "The Verdict"'s musical direction with Eclectic Arts, saying: "It's got more driving songs on this record than the last one… I think there's elements that are more progressive — some different time signatures. It's a good-flowing album. There's some slow, kind of haunting, creepy, cool stuff on this record," he continued. "Like I say, there's more progressive elements on this one, I think — certainly more, I think, than the last one. The song 'Condition Hüman' was kind of progressive in QUEENSRŸCHE's standards, so there's kind of some of those elements going on. Really good lyrical content — thought-provoking stuff. Certainly never trying to tell anyone what to think, but to think. Again, a lot of it deals with things that are happening in the world that everyone can identify with and relate to. I tried to have some really good vocal acrobatics on this [album]. There's not a ton of high singing, but there's some high stuff on there vocally. I mean, it just sounds like a great QUEENSRŸCHE album to me. But you never know until you put it out to everyone, and then it's not yours anymore."

I wonder who looked at that cover and said: Yeah, it's really good, let's go with that one.

well, I guess it fits the concept of the album plus I don't think the band have direct control over it, probably the label paid the artist for the design and they don't have the budget to simply throw it away and hire another one.

Oh geez, was that officially confirmed? It sure wouldn't surprise me if Grillo ended up playing on it but that just gives me something to dread. In all honesty, I consider Scott Rockenfield more integral to the "Queensryche sound" than Geoff Tate ever was.

Oh geez, was that officially confirmed? It sure wouldn't surprise me if Grillo ended up playing on it but that just gives me something to dread. In all honesty, I consider Scott Rockenfield more integral to the "Queensryche sound" than Geoff Tate ever was.

Honestly, though I enjoyed some of their recent songs, it just seems like this band has no real direction or identity now. Could be any generic modern melodic power/prog band, really. I guess losing a lot of their classic members will do that. Seems like it's LaTorre's passion/nostalgia project now.

Honestly, though I enjoyed some of their recent songs, it just seems like this band has no real direction or identity now. Could be any generic modern melodic power/prog band, really. I guess losing a lot of their classic members will do that. Seems like it's LaTorre's passion/nostalgia project now.

This needs to be the album I, and certainly others, have been wanting them to make since Todd joined. The last two were alright if unfulfilling, gradually righting the ship while also serving as somewhat career retrospectives, but a third in a row operating with that same function right now would be redundant and beyond unnecessary.

This needs to be the album I, and certainly others, have been wanting them to make since Todd joined. The last two were alright if unfulfilling, gradually righting the ship while also serving as somewhat career retrospectives, but a third in a row operating with that same function right now would be redundant and beyond unnecessary.

"Todd spoke about "The Verdict"'s musical direction with Eclectic Arts, saying: "It's got more driving songs on this record than the last one… I think there's elements that are more progressive — some different time signatures. It's a good-flowing album. There's some slow, kind of haunting, creepy, cool stuff on this record," he continued. "Like I say, there's more progressive elements on this one, I think — certainly more, I think, than the last one. The song 'Condition Hüman' was kind of progressive in QUEENSRŸCHE's standards, so there's kind of some of those elements going on. Really good lyrical content — thought-provoking stuff. Certainly never trying to tell anyone what to think, but to think. Again, a lot of it deals with things that are happening in the world that everyone can identify with and relate to. I tried to have some really good vocal acrobatics on this [album]. There's not a ton of high singing, but there's some high stuff on there vocally. I mean, it just sounds like a great QUEENSRŸCHE album to me. But you never know until you put it out to everyone, and then it's not yours anymore."

I was ready to give the band a chance after the split with Geoff Tate but the last two records were underwhelming and below expectations. I'm not willing to give the new release a chance. The band should have split up circa 1995. I don't understand why the group still gets so much attention. There are much better younger bands around.

Am I the only person who doesn't see what's so hideously bad about that cover art? It's not great, but as someone else pointed out, Queensryche has never had great cover art. This seems perfectly passable to me, although maybe not entirely fitting to Queensryche's style. *shrug* It's still decent.

As for the album itself, I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed 'Queensryche', although it was too short, but 'Condition Human' holds very little place in my memory, so I'm hoping for something more interesting this time around. I think they're capable of delivering this.

_________________

Zodijackyl wrote:

Anything but undying, eternal praise for Awaken the Guardian is completely wrong and a disgrace to you, your band, family, and Facebook friends list.

Am I the only person who doesn't see what's so hideously bad about that cover art? It's not great, but as someone else pointed out, Queensryche has never had great cover art. This seems perfectly passable to me, although maybe not entirely fitting to Queensryche's style. *shrug* It's still decent.

As for the album itself, I'm looking forward to it. I enjoyed 'Queensryche', although it was too short, but 'Condition Human' holds very little place in my memory, so I'm hoping for something more interesting this time around. I think they're capable of delivering this.

I don't think it's bad so much as just rather stock. Queensryche isn't really the most overtly "metal" band out there and their album art aesthetic has always leaned more to prog rock than anything else. It's somewhat uncanny to see a cover that's a skull away from one of those cringy baby boomer metal Facebook group images.

I do hope this leans more to the 2013 album than Condition Human personally. I like both but the latter didn't really stick with me.

Count me as another person who doesn't think the album art is too bad (although not awesome or anything). I'm marginally excited for this - the last two albums were fine, so I'm expecting this one to be decent as well. I got an alert recently that they'll be playing a show (with Fates Warning!) early-ish next year, so I'll definitely go and see them then. I've seen them once before but with Tate (in 2005, when Tate was singing surprisingly well), so this'll definitely be a different experience.

Good intro, good verse riff, but there's just nothing there after that. It's so frustrating how common this kind of song is, especially from re-formed "classic" bands on major labels. It reeks of "turning the crank" - as if the initial songwriting sessions only turned out so many decent riffs, so they had to be spread thin over the album.

It's about a third of a good song.

_________________

iamntbatman wrote:

manowar are literally five times the band that fates warning are: each member is as good as fates warning alone, then joey's bass solos are like an entire extra fates warning

I thought the song was pretty good. Snappy and relatively straightforward but has the cool tensions in the guitars that Wilton has always been pretty good at writing. Great singing. I'll try to check out the full album when it drops. Hopefully they've got some twists and turns in the other tunes.

Not an amazing song and certainly not the greatest thing to put out as a single, but I like the darker, gloomier melodies and that they aren't doing whatever they did last album. It'll probably be pretty decent at least.